Martin's Day (1985) User Reviews

Predated (but oh, so similar to) "A Perfect World"

[GoldenOldie · 6/10 · 10 March 2003]

I missed this film in 1984 but did see "A Perfect World: when it came out in the 1990's. If "Martin's Day" had followed the Costner movie I would have thought it less believable and compelling. The fact that it predated the Costner film gave it a big boost in my assessment of the film. Richard Harris was his usual excellent self; and all of the other members of the cast were excellent. I did find the ending, however, very weak. In the case of "A Perfect World" this was rectified. Anyone who sees one of these two films would be well advised to see the other.

Moderately interesting action drama, important because it offers a large Harris performance. Richard Harris movies—(1):Martin's Day (1984)

[Cristi_Ciopron · 6/10 · 26 November 2007]

The first and also maybe the main reason for seeing this action drama is that it offers a full—scale ( or almost) Harris role. Martin's Day (1984) is an average melodrama; its main fault is the script. The script is slapdash. Harris' part is very fine—funny, almost lighthearted. His role is somehow more ambitious than the movie. Harris' character turns from a sinister sociopath and a dangerous jailbird into a prankster and a sly-boots. The idea was to offer a Harris recital, and this it does, in spite of the slapdash and incoherent script. As I said, the worst thing about Martin's Day (1984) is its script; the best, its actors (mainly Harris and Mrs. Karen Black) and some landscapes (though the director is no Charles Laughton ,who made such a masterful use of the landscape in his unique movie--The Night of the Hunter).

Anyway, Harris' role is certainly first—class, one of the good things in his career. The point is his immense charm and his original personality and way of behaving.

The director's aptitudes are modest at best, and as a result the movie is only averagely interesting—with such an actor and an idea, it could of been much better. The kid—the little Martin—is not much likable. Harris compensates for all these, as he gives here one of his roles in a style of a keen intelligence and striking quality that sometimes reminds of Mitchum's style of acting.

There is a certain –at least decent—sense of the nature and the landscape and of integrating the characters' moves into the landscape and into the physical beauty.

A kid and a rogue?This makes one think about things like The Night of the Hunter (1955),Waterworld (1995) (remember Dennis Hopper!),A Perfect World (1993) ....

The idea and the point of this film are better than the script itself, which is not very good. In other words, the literary execution is less good than the core, than the idea.

Harris' character remains very enigmatic to the end. I don't know if this was the director's intention. There are facts that should of been explained (e.g., Harris' panic on the train, his sudden change of disposition, etc.). It's like the script was chopped. The movie's end is plainly stupid.

The film needed a contemplative, dreamy, poetic and touching atmosphere. Or,in other words, it needed a director and a script. The intentions were obviously good; the product isn't. But most reviewers are completely uninterested in aesthetic achievements; for them, the intentions and the slogans suffice. In cinema—in art—it's not about liking the idea or what could of been, but about liking –or not—the results, the achievement, the product. It's not about promising, but about offering.

Karen Black has a nice bit part. I wish we could see more of her legs.

Martin's Day, a True Gem!

[hot983comments · 10/10 · 2 March 2005]

I first saw Martin's Day when I was just 10 years old, at home, on The Movie Channel, and still remember the impact it made on my life. It touched me as no other film had touched me, and I remember balling my eyes out.

After the first time I saw it, I couldn't find it anywhere else. I would ask around and no one had ever heard of the film! I guess it was one of those more rare films that not many people knew about, because no one, and I mean no one, knew what I was talking about. I searched and searched throughout the years, checking video stores shelves and scanning cable TV listings, but always came up short. Finally, in 1996 I found out I could special order it, I did, and have probably watched it at least 50 times since--and it still makes me cry, every time.

Martin's Day is about Martin Steckert, a man who is in prison (but genuinely a good guy), who yearns to make it back to the special lake where he grew up as boy. This was a special place, where he lived off nature, spent time with his dog, and was left alone to enjoy life. Soon into the movie, he escapes and starts making his way back to the lake.

It isn't long before the cops find him, and Steckert grabs a child as a hostage to convince the police to back off. Soon Steckert and his hostage (the 2nd Martin) become best friends, and have many fun adventures together--from robbing a toy truck, to hi-jacking a train, all on the way to this special lake.

Throughout the movie, Steckert has great flashbacks of him at the lake as a boy.

I won't ruin the ending for you, but I will tell you, this movie is a must see. It is the BEST movie I have EVER seen in my life! I am, without a doubt, the biggest fan of this movie EVER! I managed to find the song that the two Martin's are singing throughout the movie ("I'm going back, to where I come from...). I'm even planning a trip to Canada to see the lake and cottage where Martin's Day was filmed. Crazy, I know--but that movie just means so much to me.

LIBERTY IS WHERE IT CAN BE FOUND BY ODDLY MATCHED SOULMATES.

[rsoonsa · 8/10 · 25 November 2004]

A well-made and imaginative production, refreshingly free from cliché, this somewhat picaresque affair recounts a tale of a close friendship that develops between a man and a boy under less than ideal conditions: the man an escaped convict who has kidnapped the youth for his value as a hostage. Expertly directed by Alan Gibson with a fine sense for balanced narrative movement, the film provides freshness in nearly every scene, as felon Martin Steckert (Richard Harris), believing that his rejection for parole was particularly undeserved, contrives a convoluted but ultimately successful escape plan, following which his spontaneous nature comes to the fore as he flees to the lakeside residence of his childhood. Often bursting into song or dancing a few steps, the capricious Steckert gradually gains the trust and affection of his captive and, as police close in for an inevitable showdown, the tethered pair are seen to be a great deal alike in their responses to forms of rejection, as discerned by a psychiatrist (Lindsay Wagner) assigned to aid a zealous police lieutenant (James Coburn) who is in charge of the manhunt for Steckert and his "prisoner". This is an engrossing story, worth telling, a quickly-paced and novel adventure that profits from a capital performance by Harris, fine turns from Wagner, Coburn, and Karen Black, along with Justin Henry as the snatched lad, with an appropriately whimsical score contributed by Wilfred Josephs, and top-notch cinematography by Frank Watts, with all footage shot in a beautiful autumnal Ontario province.

Enjoyed this one

[jlbjdmb · 9/10 · 13 June 2000]

I don't believe this was an acting challenge for Richard Harris. This was an uncomplicated plot, yet interesting. It is a good movie to watch when you don't want to do a lot of thinking, just want to be told a simple story. The Canadian scenery was breathtaking. The beautiful Fall shots alone made the picture worth seeing.

Remembering Richard Harris

[manwithbeard · 26 October 2002]

Another legend of the film is gone, and he will be both missed and, of course, remembered. Perhaps a wonderful change of pace way of thinking of Richard Harris is to watch him in this beautiful film. He is as charming in this film as he must have been in real life, and in a similar way, too. Cunning, clever and conniving, he takes both the 12 year old Martin and the viewer on a roller coaster ride of an adventure.

Hard Edged, Yet Touching

[[e-mail] · 10/10 · 1 December 2013]

This unusual road movie violently throws two outsiders out of their comfort zones and makes them reassess their lives. Richard Harris, an aging escaped convict, snatches 14year-old Justin Henry from the street in defence when the police arrive on the scene. What ensues is an examination of the relationship that develops when these two outsiders reach out to each other. Is it Stockholm Syndrome, or is it emblematic of something deeper within them? The Canadian scenery is breathtaking, and the depiction of the journey the two take emphasises the vast scale of the country they are traversing. The central cast are excellent, but watch out also for the supporting performances, including an uncredited early appearance by Tess Harper. Blink and you'll miss her.

Gimme (Canadian tax) shelter

[Wizard-8 · 5 July 2016]

This movie was one of the last gasps to come from the Canadian tax shelter era of the late '70s to early '80. It has some interest because of its cast; not only are there a number of American stars who had appeared in earlier Canadian tax shelter efforts (Richard Harris, James Coburn, Lindsay Wagner, and Karen Black), but there are also some familiar Canadians who appeared in other such efforts (Saul Rubinek and John Ireland.) As it turns out, the interesting cast is about the only thing of interest about this movie. The generally predictable plot is certainly a problem, but the biggest problem with the movie is with Harris' character. His character commits so many unlikable actions (especially in the first third of the movie) that he's not only a real turn-off, the tender scenes he has with his young co-star Justin Henry are very unconvincing. The only other thing of interest to be found in the movie is seeing how much the Clint Eastwood movie "A Perfect World" stole from this movie eight years later.